Traffic-control semaphore.



A. A, ANDERSON.

THAFFIUCONTROL SEMAPHORE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I, 1915.

Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SIIEETSSHEET I.

Law/"1mm 52 [MENTOR Q j v A A Anaemia/W A. A. ANDERSON.

TRAFFIC CONTROL SEMAPHORE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1, 1915.

Pateifl'ed May 2, 1916. g ZVSHEETSSHEET 2.

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TEAFFTUCONTROIQ SEMAIPHORE.

Lisa-tie. I

specification of Letters Patent.

llzitented tra a, rare.

Application filed September 1, 1915. Serial No. 48,459

To all ham it m ay concern:

Bait known that I, ABRAM A. AnoitnsoN, a citizen'of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Traflic-Control Semaphore, of which the fol-. lowingis a full, clear, and exact description.' I

Among the princi present invention hial objects which "the in view are: to provide a ti -aflic signaling apparatus, which.

may be seen at a distance; to provide the said ap 'mratus with movable .lflGlIllJfilS adapted tor arrangement in correspondence with the movements conventionally understood as signifying. certain intentions on the part of the operator thereof; to provide a semaphore with a plurality ct" arms providedeach with indicating means visible at and dotted lines. diametrically opposed operating-positions for said apparatuspFig. 3 is a cross section of the apparatus taken as on the lino 3-3 in Fig. 1; and Fig. l is a detailwimvon an enlarged scale, showing' insection. one of theta'rgets with which the semaphore is provided.

(e.s'(u'i))7i077.A relatively heavy stand 9 is provided. The upper endof the stand is cored or borcdto form a chamber 10, to permit of stepping a hollow'tubular mast 11 therein. The. stand 9 is preferably permancntl and securely mounted at the center of a junction. oi cross roads. ratus'may, however, be portable, in which case the stand is provided with an anchoring wedged base plate 12. v

The mast 11 is constructed from a hollow tube and of any suitable le 'zh. A supporting collar 13 is fixedly at .ch'ed to the mast 11. by a set scrcwl r. The cr 'iar is fixed in such position as to hold the lower end of the mast 11. above the bottom the chamber 10, as seen best in Fig. l of the drawings. The collar 13 is also used to form a bearing Whereon the mast is ro- The appatated. To this end the collar 13 rests on the bearing balls'lli, which rest in an an nular race formed in the upper edge of the stand 9.

Mounted at suitable intervals within the mast 11 are perforated. disks 16 which form guides for a tubular connecting; rod 17. The rod 17 has extcz'ided from the side thereof a. raclr 18, the teeth whereof are engaged by teeth former" in a quadrant 19; The quadrant 19 is rigidly attached to an operating handle 20. The handle 20 is pivotally mounted in brackets 21 formed in themast 11, as best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. At the outer end of the handle, there is formedv a hand g-rip22, which the operator grasps when manipulating the handle 20 to raise and lower the rod 17 or to swing the mast 11 on the bearing formed by. the balls The rod 17 is opcratively connectedwith the semaphore arms 23.. The arms 23 are pivoted by pins 24; in a head ring 25 rig idly mounted upon the mast ill. The ends 526 are curved to approximately correspond with the curvature of the head ring .25,

when the arms 23 are dropped to their in active positions, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The operative connection between the arms 23 and the curved ends 26 thereof with the rod 17. is formed by a pin 27, set out from the said rod and extending through the curved slots 28 formed in the ends 26. The length of the slots 28 acc0mmodates-the swing of the ends 26 about the pins 24, when the rod 17 is raised and lowered. v

The arms 23 have tubular sections 29 adjacent the outerends thereof. These sections are provided at the extreme ends with sockets arranged to receive electric lamps 30. The lamps 30, as shown best in Fig. 4 of lenses 31, which form the targets of the semaphore or signal. The lenses 31 are suitably mounted in metal frames 32, which may be separated to install or renew the lamps 30. Supported by one of the frames mounted on the ring 25 to receive said lamp.

The lamp 334 is mounted in a globe 36. The

globe 36 and the lenses 31 are suitably col- :the drawings, are disposed between diffusing lamp 34is mounted, a spiral socket 35 being J ored, the former being tinted green, while the latter are tinted red. The globe 36 may 'be viewed from all points without reference to the position to which the mast 11 and the if the frames ring is rotated, whileit is obvious that 32 and lenses" -31 are disposed edgewise to the trallic, the lamps 30 will be partially concealed.

will be disposedin thedoiifi .to the position shiown Opemiipnrsllav'ing an apparatus constructed as described. the operation thereof is as follows: When the oilicer in charge of astation desires to suspend traiiic'on the roadway. he engages the handle 20 by the grip 22 thereof and swings the mast 11 to a position where the arms 23 are transversely disposed to'the traflic. If the arms are in the inactive position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings the handle 20 p b I gositfin, as also shown-by dottqii lmesjn said-Fig. 1,. The mast havihg"b'een=iriqued tothe-desired; position, the olligerlift's the handle 20 n full "liiiesci n Fig. 1.

In doing this, the teeth in the quadrant 1!) engage the teeth in the -rack 18 and lower the rod 17, depressing thereby the ends 26 '.of the arms 23, which are moved to the horizontaL-and outstretched position shown by full linesin Fig, 1 of the drawings. If it is daylight, the drivers of the'vehicles approaching the semaphore, see the targets and particularly thefian'ge 33 thereof and are warned to stop ther gtgy I it be night, the lights of the lamps 30iire il umined and operate to advise the drivers of the warning positionof the semaphore arms. ""Due tojl" the height at whloh thfii'r'mast .11 lifts the 1 Warning signal, these may' 'Z'heE-viewed from a distance and the. various drivers maybe thus apprised of the suspension of the traffic beforeiarr ving dangerously .near the blocked station. It the semaphore is being operated at the junction of two or more busy thoroughfares, where the desire is to penodicallysuspend and relieve the traflic in the crossing ways, the ofiice'r having suspendedthetralfic in one of the roads without lowering the arms 23,1 swings the mast 11 to themosition diametrically opposed to that lately held. This .will advise the drivers on the crossing roads of the changed instruction. If. however. the installation is not designed for the control of the trallic. in two roads, as for instance, when the semaphore is arranged adjacent to a railroad crossing, the permission to proceed after suspension, would be indicated by dropping the handle 20 and the arms 23 to the positions indicated by dotted lines in said Fig.

l of the drawings. The lamp Ill is illuminated only when the olliccr at the station ])1t* '-;0s the button 37 to close the circuit in which the said lamp is incorjmrated. The button 37 as shown in Fig. l, is mounted in the mast 11 just above the collar 13. By manipulatin; the button 37 in accordance with an established code. the lamp 34 could be flashed or temporarily illuminated to convey a warning or message to the oliiccr in charge of a station at a point distant from that at which the signals originated. It is obvious that while it is preferred to normally hold the-lamp without illumination. this may be reversed and the lamp? be placed normally in circuit. said circuit to be broken instead of completed by the manipulation of the button 37.

Claim:

A semaphore comprising a stationary stand: a tubular mast rotatively mounted on said stand; a plurality of tubular arms pivotally mounted on said mast; a tubular connecting rod pivotally' connected with said arms at the. juxtaposed ends thereof; a rack fixedly mounted on said connecting rod adjacent the lower end thereof; a quad-.

rant pivotallv mounted on said mast and having teeth adapted to mesh with the teeth tif said rack; and a handle rigidly connected 'with said quadrant and extending from the side of said mast to he operable for raising and lowering the Said connecting rod and for rotating said mast.

In witness whereof I have signed iny name to this Specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

i ABRAM ARUlllBAhI) ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

ELEANOR M. ANDER-"UN,

ELISE NOSSELET. 

